(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) China is introducing coronaviruses as if they were the latest models of Apple’s iPhone—this time unveiling the newest version of the virus with the potential to cause a pandemic. 

Researchers at the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology have identified the new strain, HKU5-CoV-2, in bats—similar to how COVID-19 was first discovered. 

The new strain was announced in a study published in the journal Cell, according to the New York Post and the Daily Mail. Virologist Shi Zhengli, popularly known as “Batwoman,” led the discovery. 

Zhengli alleged that the new strain has the potential for animal-to-human transmission and uses the same human receptor found in SARS-CoV-2, the strain that causes COVID-19. 

HKU5-CoV-2 also infects cells by binding to proteins found in both human bodies and mammals. 

New coronavirus with potential to cause pandemic discovered in China. pic.twitter.com/3dbK2zIlCm

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 21, 2025

According to the study, the new virus belongs to the same group that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a virus that infects humans after being transmitted from camels. 

It is also part of the family of marbecovirus pathogens, which can be detected in minks and pangolins—the same animals the National Institutes of Health identified as the “intermediate hosts” between bats and humans for COVID-19. 

The researchers warned that its marbecovirus lineage “suggests frequent cross-species transmission of these viruses between bats and other animal species.” 

“This study reveals a distinct lineage of HKU5-CoVs in bats that efficiently use human [cells] and underscores their potential zoonotic risk,” the researchers added.

COVID-like bat virus discovered by researchers in same Chinese lab accused of leaking deadly 2020 outbreak: study https://t.co/NzoPM5ZCbg pic.twitter.com/hcc79RV4bD

— New York Post (@nypost) February 22, 2025

COVID-like bat virus discovered by researchers in same Chinese lab accused of leaking deadly 2020 outbreak: study https://t.co/NzoPM5ZCbg pic.twitter.com/hcc79RV4bD

— New York Post (@nypost) February 22, 2025

According to the Daily Mail, HKU5-CoV viruses were discovered in bats in 2006, though new data shows they have a “higher potential for interspecies infection” than other viruses. 

HKU5-CoV-2 is the latest coronavirus strain to emerge amid previous variants that triggered widespread lockdowns across the globe. 

For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, governments announced the Alpha, Beta, Delta and Omicron strains of COVID-19.  

Under each strain, world governments ordered citizens to remain in lockdown, cover their faces and limit contact with others. Those who violated these rules faced fines and even imprisonment. 

Years later, evidence revealed these orders were based on made-up consensus rather than actual science. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the notorious COVID-19 czars, received a presidential pardon from former President Joe Biden for potential crimes committed over 11 years—including during his oversight of lockdown implementation. 

Another COVID-19 czar, Dr. Deborah Birx, admitted that the COVID-19 vaccine was promoted on misleading information and that its rollout did not align with scientific principles. 

NEW: Dr. Deborah Birx admits the COVID shots were pushed on the wrong people, saying the rollout on young people ignored the science.

Now, she tells us.

“The messenger RNA vaccine should have been rolled out for the people that were at risk for severe disease because that’s… pic.twitter.com/4tCnaDA7Bo

— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) February 18, 2025